LibGuides: Government & Politics:: How to contact your elected officials

How to Get Help

Cañada College Library Redwood City, CA

Contact:

Hours:
Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Text Message: (650) 535-8398

Phone: (650) 306-3480

Local government: City councils and county supervisors

Consider attending a local government meeting for a class project or paper. Whether a dog park is open on Sundays is one of the many decisions local government officials make that affect your neighborhood. Attend a city council or planning commission meeting to hear the discussions behind each decision with an outcome you can see.

County boards of supervisors and city councils usually meet twice a month on the same day of the week, such as the second and fourth Thursdays, or the first and third Tuesdays.
These bodies are an odd number, usually five but sometimes seven, so that votes do not end in a tie.
County boards of supervisors meet during the day, all day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and city councils meet in the evening, often from 7 to 9 p.m.

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Each of California's 58 counties is governed by a board of supervisors. San Mateo County supervisors meet the first and third Thursdays at 9 a.m. in the Hall of Justice, 400 County Center, Redwood City.
San Mateo City Council
The five-member council meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Mondays in City Hall, 330 West 20th Ave., San Mateo.
Belmont City Council
The five-member council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays in the City Council Chambers in City Hall, located at One Twin Pines Lane, Belmont.
San Carlos City Council
Five-member council meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays at City Hall, 600 Elm St., San Carlos.
Redwood City City Council
Redwood City's seven-member city council meets the second and fourth Mondays in City Hall Council Chambers,1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City.
Woodside Town Council
The seven-member Woodside Town Council meets the Second and Fourth Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Independence Hall, 2955 Woodside Road, Woodside.
Menlo Park City Council
The five-member Menlo Park City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays in the City Council Chambers, 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park.
Half Moon Bay City Council
Meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7 p.m. at Ted Adcock Community Center, 535 Kelly Ave.

State elected officials

Who represents you in government? What do they vote on? Find out who to contact in the California state assembly and state senate.

Governor Gavin Newsom
California Governor Gavin Newsom posts news and notices on this website.
Tribal Government Advisor Christina Snider
Contact California's Tribal Advisor from this website and learn about California's tribal governments.
State Senator Josh Becker
Sen. Becker lives in Menlo Park and his district office is at 1528 South El Camino Real, Suite 303,
San Mateo. Phone: (650) 212-3313
State Assemblyman Alex Lee
Contact your state senator, submit your idea for a bill and sign up for news updates on issues pertaining to the 24th California assembly district here.

Federal elected representatives

Congressional representatives serve two-year terms, and senators, six-year terms. To find current congressional representatives and senators by state, check this Library of Congress website. Check the correct form of address for elected officials on this PLS page.

The White House
Visit the Briefing Room, learn about issues and contact officials from the home page of the White House.
President Joseph Biden
Read about and write to the President of the United States from this webpage. Sign up for email updates from POTUS and follow him on Twitter.
Vice President Kamala Harris
Contact the Vice President of the United States and sign up for email updates from her office.
United States Senate
Find out what the senate plans to vote on, the voting schedule and more on this website.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.
Senator Alex Padilla, a progressive problem-solver, is the first Latino elected to represent California in the U.S. Senate. The son of immigrants, Padilla grew up in the San Fernando Valley and studied Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was drawn to politics in response to California’s anti-immigrant Proposition 187. Padilla was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1999 and the State Senate in 2006.
U. S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Sen. Feinstein was first elected to the senate in 1992. In February 2023, she announced did not plan to run for office again.
United States Congress
California has 53 representatives out of 453 in the United States Congress. Two of California's 53 congressional representatives represent San Mateo County; Anna Eshoo and Kevin Mullin. San Mateo County falls in both the 14th and 18th Congressional Districts.
Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto
Congresswoman Eshoo represents residents in portions of San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. Her local office is at 698 Emerson St., Palo Alto. Phone numbers are (650) 323-2984, (408) 245-2339 and (831) 335-2020.
Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo
Congressman Kevin Mullin represents residents from portions of San Francisco and San Mateo counties. His local office is at 1528 S. El Camino Real, Suite 307, San Mateo and his office phone is (650) 342-0300.

Can you pass a citizenship test?

Citizenship test
Take this 100-question test and see your score. Be prepared to answer questions about government, famous activists, U.S. geography and current officeholders. Below is a link to help you prepare for the test. Good luck!
Study for the Naturalization Test
This page includes materials to help anyone study for the test to become a U.S. citizen.
more...less...
During your naturalization interview, a USCIS Officer will ask you questions about your application and background. You will also take an English and civics test unless you qualify for an exemption or waiver. The English test has three components: reading, writing, and speaking. The civics test covers important U.S. history and government topics. See below to learn more about the test and the free study tools available to help you prepare.

Petition the US government for change. Yes, you!

petition illustration

Anyone can write and circulate a petition to take action or to change laws. Go to this White House website to sign an existing petition or to create a new one. To create a new petition;

Think of a title that expresses your goal in 120 or fewer characters.
Choose one to three tags - Civil Rights & Equality, Foreign Policy or Immigration are examples - that fit your petition.
Write a description in 800 words or fewer of your cause.

Gather 100,000 signatures in 30 days. Once your petition has 150 signatures, it will become available on the White House website.

Read this Washington Post article, "Yes, signing those petitions makes a difference" for more about citizen petitions' effect on our government.

What are we voting on? Find out here.

California ballot measures
California Legislative Information
This site includes legislative publications starting with the 2017 session. A "Daily Updates" report feature has been added. The report displays, by house, measures for which there was activity the previous day such as new analyses, hearings, placement on the Daily File, amendments, History actions, or votes. Measures before 1999 can be found at http://leginfo.ca.gov.
Congress.gov
Find out about legislation, committees and members on this federal website.
United States Statutes at large
Commonly referred to as the Statutes at Large, the official source for the laws and resolutions passed by Congress. Since 1845, every law, public and private, ever enacted by the Congress is published in the Statutes at Large in order of the date of its passage.

File a Freedom of Information Act request

Can't find the government information you are looking for but believe it exists somewhere? First, do a thorough search for the information or report you want. If you can't find it, and you think it exists, you can file a Freedom of Information Act request here.

Adjunct Faculty Librarian

Cynthia McCarthy

Email Me